Doorbell
by HR always live on
Summary: HR stuff again- Ruth's husband turns up bringing all kinds of trouble with him. Chapter 10 up
1. Chapter 1

_First draft so I apologise for any mistakes. Not sure if this premise is going to work..._

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><p>Ruth woke up feeling very happy. She stretched out and then turned to Harry, who had his eyes glued to her. "Good morning," he whispered, lips kissing hers in a soft embrace.<p>

"Mm, morning," she whispered back, the second her lips were free. She smiled as his hand skimmed her thigh, over her hip, across the dip of her waist and up her ribcage, eventually resting on her shoulder. She adored the way he touched her, like she was completely his and always would be. It felt wonderful. Just as things were beginning to heat up the doorbell rang. Ruth sighed. "Who's house are we in?" she asked, distracted by his touches, unable to remember.

"Yours I'm afraid," Harry said, watching her get out of bed and wrap her dressing gown around her. "I get to stay in bed, a little while longer."

Ruth was too tired to think of anything to say to that, so she hurried downstairs as the doorbell rang again. "I'm coming," she called, unlocking the door. Her smile froze on her face as she instantly recognised the face staring at her. A short man in his late thirties with dark hair stood on her doorstep, staring at her with a horrible smile on his face.

"What are you doing here? How the hell did you find me?" she asked in quick succession once the shock had vanished a little, her face showing pure horror towards this stranger.

"Just the reaction I was hoping for," he said sarcastically. "Are you going to let me in?"

"No," she said simply. "Leave."

"I can't leave Ruth, do you have any idea how long it took to get your address?" Ruth was about to reply when she heard footsteps from inside the house.

"Please go," she begged, suddenly desperate, not wanting Harry to get involved in this.

"I can't," he said. "You know I need to talk to you."

"You've waited ten years, why now?" Ruth said with barely disguised venom just as Harry came in earshot.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked over her shoulder, staring with hatred at this man. Without knowing anything about him, he could see that Ruth was uncomfortable and edgy.

"I'll be fine as soon as this idiot leaves me alone," Ruth said as she felt Harry's supporting weight behind her.

"I think you should do as she says and leave," Harry said in a quiet but deadly voice. Ruth felt relived that he was doing this for her, she didn't know how she would have coped otherwise.

"Fine, I'll go," the stranger said, his eyes taking in the way Harry protectively wasn't moving a step away from Ruth. "Bye then." He turned and left and Ruth waited until he turned the corner of her street and was out of sight. She sighed and closed the door hurriedly locking it.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes, I just didn't think I'd see him again, that's all." She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "It was a bit of a shock."

"Who is he?" Harry asked.

"Mark Kitcher," Ruth said quietly.

"And he is?" Harry asked, needing to know who could make her look this pale and nervous. She sighed and looked up at him, her blue eyes boring into his amber ones. She didn't want to say this but knew that she had no choice but the truth.

"He's my husband."

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><p><em>Does anyone want more?<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_WOW! 17 reviews for the first chapter, I'm amazed! Thank you all so much. I had no idea where to go from that last chapter so I was a bit stumped. I really hope this installment doesn't disappoint you. _

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><p>"I'm sorry?" Harry said. Ruth closed her eyes, knowing that he knew exactly what she'd said. She repeated herself anyway.<p>

"He's my husband."

"I heard you, I just can't believe what I'm hearing," he said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry," she said almost in a whisper, her face bowed low.

"You're sorry?" Harry said angrily. "So for two months I've been sleeping with another mans wife? I swore I'd never have another affair, because I see how much pain they cause, and all this time you've been married?"

"It isn't like that," she said quietly. "I haven't even seen him for ten years. Do you want to let me explain, or do you just want to rant and shout at me? Go on, I probably deserve it."

"Okay," Harry said with difficulty, sitting down and turning to her. "I'm listening."

"Would it change anything if I told you that I have tried to get a divorce?"

"Tried?"

"He wouldn't sign the papers and in the end I gave up asking."

"Ruth, you're the best analyst in the country, you can hack into any institution in the world and you're telling me you couldn't file the papers and add his signature to them?"

"Of course I could," she said shaking her head. "Probably in less than five minutes too. But what would that have proven? I'd know I was still married to him. I'd know that the divorce papers were fake and could come back to haunt me at any given moment. I just settled for burying it as deep as I possibly could, in the hopes that no one would find out."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked quietly.

"Because he isn't a nice man and I don't like thinking about him more than necessary."

"Then why did you marry him?"

"Because I was young and stupid," she said, a faint smile on her face. "And for a brief moment in time, I thought I was in love with him. In my entire life I'd always done exactly what was expected of me. Nothing more, nothing surprising in my life and I was tired of always being the boring one in life. So when he asked me to marry him I said yes without stopping to think about it, like I normally would have. We just eloped one day. And for that one day I was happy."

"Then?" Harry asked quietly as she stopped speaking.

"He didn't like how ambitious I was," Ruth said. "We argued constantly about it, just after I started working for GCHQ and started going up the career ladder. He was determined that no wife of his would ever earn more than him, and he said a lot of worse things than that too, things which I'm not going to repeat. I was good at my job and he knew it. And he hated it. We never had one peaceful day between us and he turned very nasty. I'm not saying I was perfect, far from it. But one day I looked around and found out that I was married to someone I didn't like or respect. I wondered how had I got here? How had that happened? That smart, sensible Ruth had run off and married someone so repellent to me. It came to a head one night when he'd had a drink after I'd been promoted again. He wanted me to quit. Of course I wasn't going to do that. And we argued for hours. It ended when he hit me."

Harry sighed and grabbed her hand tightly, while she continued. "It was the first time, but I wasn't going to hang around and wait for it to happen again. I'd had enough, so I packed a bag and I left, ignoring his apologies as I went. I've only seen him three times since then. Two times I went to see him, begging for him to sign the divorce papers. But he wouldn't do it. He knew I wasn't coming back and I don't know why he wouldn't just sign it. Stubbornness maybe? I don't know. I gave up and just decided to make it look like I'd never been married in the first place. It worked," she added with a smile. "I should have told you. Honestly, I am sorry."

"What does he want?" Harry asked.

"I have no idea," Ruth said quietly. "I didn't expect to see him again." Ruth bit her lip, filled with anxiety. She was distracted when Harry lightly kissed her. "What was that for?" she asked, her eyes gazing into his.

"Because I love you."

"Even though I lied to you?"

"Yes," he said simply. She looked at him amazed at this reaction so he elaborated. "Its your past. Not our future. I have a few skeletons in my closet too. I wouldn't like you to hold it against me."

"What did I do to deserve you?" she asked, feeling indescribably happy at this.

"You're far too good for me," Harry whispered, leaning over her hair and kissing her head. "Its that simple." He turned from her and looked at the clock. "But we really have to get to work." Ruth followed his eyes and saw that they were already late. She got up and was about to walk upstairs when Harry grabbed her waist. He kissed her neck and whispered gently into her ear. "I love you, don't forget that."

"I never do," she said with a tiny smile. "I love you too."

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><p><em>Which way do I go, plot in longer chapters or simplicity, shorter chapters, ending with HR fluff? What do you think?<em>


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a normal day at work, for the most part. Ruth had felt Harry's glare more strongly than usual. She knew that he was partly concerned for her. She wondered what the other part of him was feeling. She couldn't read him and that was infuriating. It got to the end of the day and they were alone. Ruth waited until he came out of his office and wondered what he was going to say to her.

"Ready to go?"

"Just say it," Ruth said with a sigh. "Whatever it is you've been thinking all day every time you look at me. Just say it."

"I don't know how to word it," Harry said slowly.

"Try," she said in a soft voice.

"I just… I don't know Ruth," he said shaking his head slowly. "I think I hate that there was another man in your life before me. And I really hate that you didn't tell me as well. I'm not crazy, I know there would have been other men in your life but seeing it for myself is something else. I suppose I'm a little jealous."

"Why?" she said completely bewildered. "It was a bad relationship, from almost the start. I went a little crazy, because I loved him and signed a marriage licence. Even then, I only felt maybe a fifth of what I feel for you right now. That's all. You have no reason to be jealous, trust me." Ruth sighed, as his face didn't change at all. She stood up and reached up for his cheeks, faces inches apart.

"I love you," she said quietly. "I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, ever. I'm surprised I have to tell you that."

"I know," he said, closing his eyes, trying to fight off the pain. She reached up and kissed him as passionately as she knew how. His breathing was heavy when they parted, a small smile there.

"Lets go home," he said.

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><p>That night Ruth and Harry were both sleepless. He had his arms around her waist. "Are you going to leave me?" Ruth whispered, knowing he was awake.<p>

"What? No of course I'm not," he said quickly. He turned her over to face him. "I could never leave you," he said. "Do you… do you still want a divorce from him?"

"God yes," she said quickly and sincerely. "I want to know what he wants too."

"Call and ask," Harry suggested. "I'd like to have a chat with him actually."

"Saying what?" Ruth asked, torn between amusement and worry.

"That he can't hit women," he said.

"Harry…"

"That he should have treated you better. Allowed you a divorce when you wanted one."

"Harry…"

"Do you ever worry that I'll hit you?" Harry asked quietly as the thought occurred to him. "Because of what he did before you left. Does it ever cross your mind?"

"No," she said sincerely. "I have argued with you daily for years. I infuriate you constantly…"

"True," he conceded, lightening the moment a touch.

"And I know it has never once entered your head to hit me. So no, I don't worry. It was twelve years ago when it happened. It doesn't bother me anymore."

"You're so strong," he whispered, pulling her body close. "I do want to talk to him though."

"Well, if you can try and make him see sense it wouldn't hurt. There's nothing he could tell you that you don't already know." Harry appreciated her saying that. It was reassuring, even though he could usually tell when she was lying. He had known her too long to be fooled. "Listen, since we're both awake and not going to fall asleep anytime soon, how about we enjoy it," Ruth said suggestively.

"I can't," Harry said. Before Ruth could ask why he continued. "I want to Ruth, God you have no idea how much want to but I can't. I won't sleep with a married woman again. I can't do it Ruth."

"I'm not really married," she said. "Its not like we're having a torrid affair behind my husbands back."

"Even so," he said shaking his head. "Please don't argue with me and try and change my mind."

"I won't," she said quietly. "I am going to kiss you though for a long time."

"I hoped you would," he said with a smile. She reached forward and their lips met in a reassuring kiss for a long, long time.

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><p><em>With all the fantastic reviews, I do hope I'm not letting anyone down with this. Hoppe you enjoyed and more soon. xxx<em>


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later Ruth was sipping her coffee anxiously, waiting for Mark to turn up. She knew he was coming around but it still made her anxious, and Harry wasn't leaving her alone either. She jumped when the doorbell rang. "Shall I get it?" Harry asked. Ruth nodded quietly and heard the deafening silence as both men came back into her kitchen, glaring at each other. She bit her lip to hold her smile as Mark looked uncomfortable with the stare Harry was giving him. Harry waited for a minute and then left he kitchen, closing the door with a snap. Ruth knew he was listening though.

"What do you want?" Ruth asked standing up to face him.

"What on earth do you see in him?" Mark asked, nodding at the door.

"Is that really the way you want to start this conversation?" Ruth asked bewildered. She sighed and carried on when he said nothing. "He has qualities that are completely foreign to you. Like honour and integrity?"

"Short life span, large bank balance?" Mark suggested with a cheeky smile she used to find attractive.

"How dare you," she said quietly. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out of my house?"

"Look, I don't want to argue," Mark said. "Ruth… I'm in a bit of trouble here."

"Why am I not shocked?" Ruth said sarcastically.

"Basically I've got on the bad side of the wrong people. And I've borrowed some money.

"Ah, I see where this is going," Ruth said with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know you don't like me but I went to a lot of trouble to find you."

"Why?" Ruth said incredulously. "And how did you find me by the way?"

"Your mother," he said quietly.

"Of course," Ruth cursed to herself. "She always did have a soft spot for you. She has bad taste. Mark, you are one of the last people on the planet I would want to help."

"I don't really have any friends to ask," he said. "You're the only person I can turn to."

"What a sad life you must lead," she said trying to hold her ground. "The only person you can turn to is your ex-wife who you haven't seen in ten years. Why would I help you?"  
>"I'll sign the divorce papers," he said looking down. "You're not my ex-wife yet. Give me three grand and I'll sign the papers and you will never have to see me again."<p>

"I'm not giving you any money," Ruth said firmly. Mark opened his mouth to argue when Harry barged in.

"Wait a minute," Harry said, looking at Ruth. "Maybe we should talk about this."

"You're not serious?" Ruth said walking closer to Harry. "You want to give him money? We should kick him out not pay him!" Mark watched both Harry and Ruth as it became increasingly apparent that neither of them were paying him the slightest bit of attention.

"I want him out of our lives Ruth," he said, taking her hand in his. "Its that simple. I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and he's getting in the way." Ruth smiled slightly. "Just pay him and let him disappear."

"You want to marry me?" she asked quietly, her face smiling slowly.

"Of course I do," he said, eyes twinkling. "Why on earth wouldn't I?"

"I don't have three grand," Ruth said simply.

"Use one of our slush funds," Harry said quietly. "You go and get the money while I have a conversation with our house guest."

"Okay," Ruth said. Harry went to grab a pen and write down the account numbers she would need but she stopped him. "Don't bother. I already know them."

"Is there anything you don't know?" he asked, an arm around her waist lightly.

"I'm sure there'll be something," Ruth said with a smile. She reached forward and kissed him lightly, or at least that was the intention. It turned into a deeper embrace which she reluctantly pulled away from. Ruth opened her kitchen drawer and pulled open the false bottom. She carried the papers over to the table and put them in front of Mark.

"Be careful," Harry said as she left, more out of habit than anything else. She smiled as she disappeared around the corner. They heard the door slam and Harry looked at Mark, wondering if he had the upper hand yet. Mark was wondering how long he was going to be left with an angry Harry who was clearly not happy with him. There was total silence in the kitchen and neither wanted to be the first to break it.

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><p><em>Okay, leaving it on a little bit of a cliffhanger! Hope you're enjoying it so far. Next Harry talks to Ruth's husband. I have a vague outline but any suggestions? Ideas or lines might be incorporated if you want...<em>


	5. Chapter 5

Harry stayed standing, sizing Mark up, feeling very unhappy with the situation. Mark seemed to shrivel up under Harry's gaze and Harry suddenly realised what kind of man he was. Weak. He put up a big front, but when confronted by someone stronger, he fell apart. Without tearing his eyes off of Mark, he called Erin and told her that Ruth and himself would be late. They had business to deal with. When he disconnected the call Mark looked ready to talk.

"How much has she told you?" Mark said first, feeling uncomfortable under Harry's intense glare.

"Everything," Harry said, hoping he wouldn't be proved wrong.

"I bet that's not showing me in my best light," Mark said collapsing into a chair.

"I didn't know you had a good light," Harry said bluntly.

"Fair enough." Mark flicked through the divorce papers so he wouldn't have to look at Harry's glare. "Did she tell you that I hit her?"

"Yes, and I wouldn't remind me if I were you because it makes me want to punch you so hard that you'll end up in the morgue.

"I honestly regret that."

"Did you think that…" Harry swallowed trying to fight off the image before continuing. "Did you think that hitting her would make her more inclined to stay with you?"

"It was stupid, and I couldn't accept that she no longer cared. So when I had a drink, I lashed out."

"Why didn't you sign the divorce papers when she asked you to?" Harry said quietly, burning with curiosity.

"I was in love with her. I couldn't admit to myself that it was over. I'd ruined our relationship and I wouldn't sign a piece of paper to say it was over. I couldn't let her go. She was just so beautiful, and brilliant."

"She is," Harry corrected, menace in his voice.

"I'd have caved eventually, but she vanished, and I didn't hear from her again. Come on, what would you have done? If you were in my position. Would you have willingly let her go?"

"If Ruth and I ever marry, and if one day she asked me for a divorce because she was unhappy, it would break my heart but I would give it to her without needing to be asked twice, because I will do whatever she wants. I will try to do everything within my power to make her happy. If she no longer wanted to be with me, I wouldn't stand in her way and refuse to let her live the life she wanted. That's what I would do."

"Then you're a better man than me," Mark said. "One who probably deserves her. I didn't, I know that now."

"Why are you being so reasonable?" Harry said shaking his head. "It makes it that much harder to hate you."

"In twelve years, a man can change."

"I know, I just so rarely see it," Harry said. "Anyway, you couldn't have changed that much or you wouldn't be offering Ruth a divorce for three thousand pounds would you?"

"I'm in trouble, I just need the money, then I'll leave you in peace, I swear." Mark paused.

"Do you really want to marry her?"

"Yes," Harry said briefly.

"Make sure you know her well," he replied. "We rushed into it way too fast and after the passion had died, we both knew that."

"I do know her," Harry said honestly. "Over the last few years, did you never try to find her?" he asked. "Never wondered how she was doing? She is an impossible woman to forget."

"Of course I did, but she's very hard to pin down," Mark said. "I don't have her flair for hacking into every computer in existence. Plus for about a year I thought she was dead."

"Ah," Harry said, remembering how he had lost her then. "She… went abroad for a while."

"I don't really care," Mark said making Harry glower at him. "Oh for Gods sake, just look at the way she looks at you. She looked at me like that for a few weeks maybe, but it faded. She sees me with nothing but contempt now. Or possibly hatred for keeping her tied to me for far too many years."

"Then sign it," Harry said indicating the papers. "She'll be back soon and if you really believe what you're saying, you really want me to believe it, then sign it."

"Shall we just wait a few minutes until she comes back?" Harry smiled without humour.

"So for all the honourable things you're saying, you still won't do what she wants. You won't do the right thing, unless there's something in it for you."

"I'm sorry," he said shaking his head slightly. "I need that money, or there is a real possibility that I'll end up on a mortuary slab."

"Coming round here was only the marginally more sensible option," Harry said with a menacing growl. "I proposed to her last year and she said no, causing all kinds of tension between us for a few months. So much wasted time. Now all I can think of is: Are you the reason she said no?"

"I can't answer that," Mark said. "Only she can." Harry kept his mouth shut because he knew that Mark was right. Harry heard the door open and felt relieved that Ruth had come back.

"Don't even think about going back on your word," Harry growled as Ruth came into the kitchen, a brown envelope in her hand. Ruth glared at Mark and the papers which he hadn't yet signed. Mark sighed and in the silence picked up the pen and signed his name. Ruth felt the tension in the room fade almost visibly. She handed over the money easily as he hurriedly started to count it. Harry had had enough of this. Within seconds he had Mark pinned up against the wall.

"If you ever come within a mile of her, ever again, I will make your life a living hell, do you hear me?"

"Harry…" He ignored Ruth's gentle warning voice.

"I will take everything from you, and you will be left with nothing."

"Worried she might come back to me are you?" Mark said with a grin that made him sick to his stomach. Harry couldn't bear the contemptuous look on his face. He punched him in the stomach and he had to admit that it felt good. "Get out of here and don't come back." Harry said, letting him go as he dropped to the floor, coughing violently. Harry resisted the urge to kick him, feeling that was slightly beneath him when his adversary was gasping for air.

After a second Mark got to his feet and quickly left the house, front door slamming behind him. Ruth sat down in the chair he had just left with her eyes closed. "You didn't have to hit him Harry," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "It felt… necessary after what he did to you." Ruth opened her eyes and was looking at Harry with pure love and total trust.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. She looked at the divorce papers and picked up the pen. Efficiently she signed her name below his and felt very satisfied as the pen dropped to the table. Harry leaned over her shoulder and lightly kissed her. "I have to go," she said quietly. "I want to have these filed, so I need to make an impromptu visit to my lawyer. And you should go to work."

"Mm," he agreed quietly, before kissing her again. "Congratulations."

"I can't believe I'm actually shot of him," she said, buttoning her coat up, walking to the front door. He smiled at her, brushing her hair away from her face to kiss her once more.

They left the house in happiness which was quickly broken. Three steps from the house Harry knew what was going to happen before it did and Ruth's thoughts were just behind him. There were six or more thugs, faces covered who approached them as fast as smoke. In a quick and violent scuffle, both Harry and Ruth ended up with their hands bound and were thrown in the back of a blue van across the road.

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><p>They both should have known this was too easy.<p>

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><p><em>Don't hate me! I hadn't planned it this way but in<em> _LouBelle04's review, she said it can't be that simple. So I've made it a bit more complicated. No idea where I'm going from here... I love your reviews, thanks for those so far! xxx_


	6. Chapter 6

_This seems to have taken on a life of its own..._

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><p>Within the hour Ruth found herself tied to a chair in a dark room, hands behind her back. Harry was in exactly the same position, but their backs were together so they couldn't even look at each other. Ruth pushed her hands as far back as she could go and felt her fingers touch Harry's lightly. Once he realised what she was doing he entwined their fingers tightly, as best he could with the restraints.<p>

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh yes, this is my idea of a holiday," she said sarcastically. His finger stroked her hand gently.

"I meant are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine," she said. "Are you…?"

"I'm fine too. Just a scratch on my face, nothing serious."

"Harry, I saw you get punched in the stomach," Ruth said wryly.

"I'm fine," he lied. His chest felt sore and was pretty sure one of his ribs had been cracked but she didn't need to know that.

"Good," she said. "Erin and Dimitri… They'll start looking for us right?"

"Probably not," Harry said sadly. "I called Erin to say we'll be late." Ruth's only response was a sigh. "Sorry."

"Okay, any bright ideas?" she asked.

"You know him," Harry said. "What do you think?"

"He can't possibly be this crazy," she said. Silence spread out between them while Ruth was thinking. "He's spineless and weak," she said slowly. "He isn't the brains behind this. He can't be, he isn't this clever. I think someone was paying him to find out where we were."

"Excellently deduced Miss Evershed," a male voice in the darkness said. Ruth racked her brain but she didn't recognise the voice. Harry's grip on her fingertips tightened and she knew he did recognise the voice. The man stepped out of the shadows so Ruth could see his face. "You don't know who I am do you?"

"No," she said honestly, after a seconds pause, wondering if she should lie.

"No. But I rather think Harry does, don't you?" The man walked around Ruth and out of her eye line so Harry could see his face.

"Yes," Harry said in a low voice. "What on earth would make you do this Ilya?"

"You know what you did," Ilya said. Ruth was annoyed she couldn't see her captors face as well as having no idea what he was talking about. Harry sighed and dropped his grip from Ruth's fingers. That worried her more than anything else so far.

"So you know," Harry said in a low voice. Rut wondered if she should interrupt. Her curiosity was burning but she thought she might learn more if she stayed silent.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to my life? Or Elena's life?" Ilya said, pacing slowly in front of Harry. "Every memory I have, its tainted. Because I wonder if she was thinking of you the entire time." Ruth suddenly had a fairly good idea where this was heading. "I've lived happily married for thirty years and now I realise that for most of that time my wife preferred you."

"Let her go," Harry said. "Ruth has nothing to do with this."

"I disagree," Ilya said. "I've heard of her by reputation alone. The woman who made the cold as stone Harry Pearce fall completely in love with her. Proving after all these years that he does actually have a heart. Possibly the only woman he has ever actually loved."

"Let her go," Harry repeated. "I'll do whatever you want if you let her go."

"You're not really in a position to argue or bargain with me Pearce." Ilya said, circling around him and coming into Ruth's view again. "How does it feel Miss Evershed? To be in love with someone you don't even know?" She didn't say a word to Ilya. Her only response was to stretch her hands backwards as far as they could go and let her fingers touch Harry. He gripped her hands as tightly as he could and squeezed as if questioning. She squeezed back firmly, and their hands stayed entwined.

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><p><em>I hope this is okay. Tell me what you think even if you hate it. More when its written! xxx<em>


	7. Chapter 7

Erin smiled at Dimitri as he brought over their coffee. They had hit it off quite well ever since she'd been brought over from section A, and she knew that the necessary trust needed in this job was morphing into true friendship. "Where are Harry and Ruth?" Tariq asked.

"I don't know," Erin said. "He called to say they were going to be late."

"Great," Callum said sarcastically. "So the boss and his girlfriend get a few extra hours in bed while we try and save the country. Where's the fairness in that?"

"Leave them alone Callum," Dimitri said, having lived through all the Harry and Ruth non-relationship the year before. "Trust me, its much better this way than all the longing looks and double meaning comments. How they did that for eight years I'll never know."

"This isn't fair," Callum said. "They're in love, they both get more money than me, can skive off of work in the mornings without getting told off, and they're having sex. I don't have any of those things. How is that fair?"

"They aren't in bed, Erin said. "Harry sounded quite serious actually."

"Is he alright?" Dimitri asked. From his experience, Harry's hunches, and especially Ruth's were usually right on the money.

"I don't know actually," Erin said slowly. "Maybe I should call and check…"

"If you're wrong and they are otherwise occupied, I wouldn't want to be you when Harry picks up," Dimitri said. Erin's hand hovered by the phone as Dimitri said that.

"No, I'll call. If he gets annoyed with me I'll remind him that we're functioning without our star analyst and our section head." Erin picked up the phone and dialled.

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><p>Ilya was still walking around them contemplating, and Ruth's fears kept going up. She had a feeling he didn't want to trade them for anything, all the Russian wanted was them. Dead. It came to the front of her mind but she prayed she was wrong.<p>

"What do you want Ilya?" Harry asked, mirroring her thoughts. She smiled internally, loving how there thoughts were similar even in a dire situation like this. "Money? Freedom?"

"Nothing," the Russian said. "I have what I want. I want you Harry.

"Then let her go," Harry said urgently. "She has no use to you. You have nothing against her at all. If you let her go, she won't report you at Thames House. She won't tell anyone you're even in the country. You can keep a guard with her until you've done whatever you like with me to make sure she keeps her word. She doesn't deserve this, just let her go."

"Oh Harry…" Ruth said sadly, her grip on his fingers tightening.

"My God, you really do love her," Ilya said in wonder. "I didn't think you were capable."

"What use is she to you?" Harry said. "You don't even know her. She has nothing to do with Elena, you or myself."

"Elena is dead," Ilya said simply looking at Ruth. Ruth didn't like the expression on his face one little bit.

"How?" Harry asked, trying to keep Ilya talking. Anything but concentrating on Ruth in a way he didn't like one bit.

"I killed her. Slit her throat," Ilya said simply. In the silence he elaborated. "She cheated on me for years," Ilya said, looking at Harry. "If that wasn't bad enough, she was sleeping with a British spy. My arch enemy in Berlin and she spied for you. And she lied about the parentage of our son." Ruth froze at that and Harry could tell that as her fingers stopped moving over his hand. "Ah, you didn't know that then," Ilya said satisfactorily. "He didn't tell you. Yes, Harry has had a child with a Russian spy he turned using sex. I wonder why that didn't come up while he was seducing you?" Ruth's breathing was heavy and he knew what she must be thinking. Ilya was silent and Ruth couldn't take it any longer.

"How could you not tell me?" Ruth said, turning her head. She still couldn't see him, but felt she had to try. "All week, you've been making me feel guilty for not telling you about my husband.

"I wasn't trying to make you feel guilty," he interrupted.

"Even so," Ruth said. "How could you not tell me after that? After everything you said."

"When do I bring that up Ruth?" he said. "I would have told you but I just didn't know how."

"That's not an excuse Harry," she said.

"I know." Ruth lapsed into silence as Ilya looked at Harry intensely. "Did you kill him too? Sasha?"

"He may not be my blood but I raised him as my son. I won't turn against him because of the accident of his parentage."

"You're going to kill us aren't you?" Ruth said to Ilya. "That's what you want."

"Yes," Ilya said. "I've been betrayed by the woman I love for years. And betrayed by you Harry. So you need to suffer the way I have."

"This is crazy Ilya, it was so long ago."

"But I found out about it a few weeks ago. Its not in the past for me." Ilya looked into Harry's face from only a few inches away. "You are going to watch as I kill her in front of your eyes. And then after you have taken in her lifeless form, I'm going to kill you too." Harry heard Ruth gasp and he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't know if he had the strength for this. He reached for Ruth's hand and squeezed tightly. Her hands were cold but he felt them respond to his touch. If this really were the end of the road, he wanted to be there for her, as much as he possibly could.

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><p><em>Not entirely sure how I'm going to get them out of this...<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_I seem to be making this up as I go along but I hope it still works..._

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><p>Erin put down the phone and sighed, Dimitri watching carefully. "They're nowhere," she said. Neither of them were picking up, the phones went straight through to answer phone. I've sent teams around to each of their homes, and they aren't there. I'm getting worried."<p>

"Tariq, trawl through the CCTV outside both of their houses from say… seven this morning. See what you can find." Tariq nodded and started typing away. Erin bit her lip, filled with worry. "This just doesn't feel right," she said to Dimitri.

"They'll be alright," he said.

"Shit," Tariq said. He played a small clip to the rest of the team. It showed both Harry and Ruth being thrown into a van and quickly being driven off.

"Damn it," Erin cursed. "Okay, Callum, you try and find the van and who is behind this. Tariq, keep going back through the CCTV and find out if anything else has happened." Everyone got to work, trying to find the most valued members of their team.

"Got him," Tariq said ten minutes later. "His name is Mark Kitcher, leaving Ruth's earlier this morning."

"What've we got on him?" Dimitri asked.

"Not much." Erin looked at the picture and then said a two word sentence.

"Find him."

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><p>Ilya had left the room briefly, why they had no idea but Ruth had no doubt they were being watched over cameras or something similar. She suddenly felt Harry pinch her hand hard. She took in a sharp breath at the pain, wondering why he had done that.<p>

"Sh," he whispered. She concentrated and then realised what he was doing. He was trying to loosen the ropes binding her wrists. She kept quiet, even when he accidentally hurt her. After long minutes he stopped and she tested the rope. It was loose and she felt her wrists free. She did the same for Harry working on the knots and trying.

Ilya came back in the room and Ruth wasn't finished. Cursing to herself, she kept her eyes on Ilya while her fingers kept working. "You haven't spoken to him since I left," Ilya said. Clearly he had been expecting her to criticise Harry but she didn't want to. If they ever got out of this, then she would give him a piece of her mind.

"What do you want me to say?" Ruth asked the Russian as her fingernails kept scraping at the rope. Ilya sighed and turned to face Harry. Ruth kept her movements slow so they wouldn't be noticed.

"How many years were you sleeping with my wife?" Ilya asked him bluntly.

"Does it matter?"

"I need to know," Ilya replied.

"On and off for five years," Harry said lowly, feeling terrible that Ruth had to hear this.

"Five years," Ilya said as if thinking aloud. "Did it never bother you that she was married? Happy? In love with me?"

"Don't be a fool," Harry said as he felt the ropes on his wrists loosen significantly. "She might have been married to you Ilya but she wasn't happy." He saw that comment had got under his skin and couldn't resist adding to it. "She also didn't love you either." Ilya snapped at that. He punched Harry's jaw with as much force as he could muster, making the chair rock slightly. Harry was breathing heavily and Ilya was watching him, hatred all over his face. Ruth squeezed his hand letting him know the ropes were untied. Harry suddenly had an idea, with no clue whether it would work.

"You were her prison Ilya. That's how she saw you. Nothing else and certainly nothing more." Ilya moved forward to hit Harry again, but he was too quick. Harry punched Ilya in the stomach and he crumpled to the floor without even trying to fight back. Harry only got two punches in before bodyguards came into the room to restrain him. Harry wondered if that had been a stupid move, but in the moment it had felt good. Ruth was still sitting and her face stayed impassive as they pulled Harry to the other end of the room, facing her, a bleeding lip the only outward sign of injury. She had an idea but wondered if firstly it would work, and secondly whether Harry would forgive her if it did. She decided it was a risk she had to take because it would buy them time.


	9. Chapter 9

Ruth schooled her face into a dispassionate scowl and looked at the Russian, completely ignoring Harry who was breathing heavily against his cracked rib. "Is there a point to keeping me here?" Ruth asked bluntly.

"I thought that was clear Miss Evershed. Your connection to Harry."

"You think I care about him after this?" Ruth said, faking amazement, hoping she was a good enough actress to pull this off. "He has another son he has failed to ever mention and thinks its morally fine to have an ongoing affair with a married woman for years? They are not qualities I admire. And frankly, to be killed for a man I don't care about, much less love seems like a very poor ending to life." She tried with all her might not to look at Harry but she could feel how intensely he was watching her.

"I don't believe you," Ilya said but the words were said without determination and Ruth could tell he wasn't convinced. She couldn't even look at Harry to see what effect her words were having on him. She'd never hold the façade if she did.

"Feel free to believe whatever you want," Ruth said simply. "Doesn't alter the fact it's the truth. He's proposed to me and I said no. What more proof do you need? If I loved him why wouldn't I try and get rid of my ex husband rather than waiting for him to find me? I never thought I'd see Mark again, it never occurred to me to try and find him for a divorce. You know why I finally slept with Harry after years of him wanting me? Because I was lonely and it was easy and I have no more noble reasons than that." She stopped while he took in those words and could feel the disappointment in Harry's gaze, his eyes on her. He had to know that she was only doing this to buy them time, he couldn't actually be believing what she was saying, Ruth thought to herself. But in the silence she could feel he did. It was radiating off of him in waves.

Harry felt broken. Ruth knew that he hadn't had the most honourable past but she had always said as long as he didn't lie to her, she'd leave the past in the past. But the things she was saying struck too close to the bone. He was trying not to believe her but she was very convincing. Was loneliness really the reason she had slept with him? He would never recover from that, if that turned out to be true. He closed his eyes and tried to remember as much as he could about that night. A night he had thought to be one of the highlights of his life and he was now re-evaluating everything that had happened between them.

This had only taken a second or two for Harry to think about this and for his heart to completely break. Ruth carried on speaking. "You're not stupid Ilya, even if you are on the run from Moscow."

"How do you know that Miss Evershed?"

"I work in the hub of MI5 operations and I am not being modest when I say that I'm talented. We've had no word of Russian diplomats in England within the last six months which means you're here unofficially. With your wife being murdered, I am guessing you are on the run and if Moscow knew you were here, you'd already be in prison."

"Well done," Ilya said with a smile which Ruth returned, feeling it was her best option. "But it also means I have very little left to lose. Back to the matter in hand," Ilya said. "You want me to believe that you have no feelings for Harry? Really?"

"He has been pursuing me for years and I kept saying no. Why do you think I'd do that if I loved him?"

"Even if everything you're saying is true, I know he loves you."

"Yes he does. Wouldn't it be better to have him live without me, and know the pain of a broken heart, rather than easily killing me?"

"You're saying this to try and persuade me to let you live," Ilya said simply.

"Of course I am," Ruth said. "You think I want to die over a man who means nothing to me? Of course I don't. Frankly it's a waste. Its not like I'm even dying over something or someone meaningful."

"Look him in the eye and tell him that, and I might just believe you," Ilya said. For the first time since she had started talking to Ilya she looked at Harry and she saw how much her words were hurting him. She was willing him not to believe this but could see that he did. And she was going to have to say it all over again to his face. Look him in the eye while she broke his heart. But she stopped thinking. If she thought about it she'd never be able to go through with it.

"Sorry Harry," she said simply. "I know you wanted to believe that we were meant for each other and it was all perfect and beautiful after all this waiting, but did you ever stop to think why I kept you waiting so long? I wasn't that interested in a man more than ten years older than me who has a prolific record of cheating on any woman who ever meant anything to him. I was lonely and I knew that you wanted me, I could see it every time I looked at you. So I went for the easy option. And to be perfectly honest, you weren't that great in bed anyway."

Harry's eyes had slipped to the floor and she felt sick to her stomach that she'd done this to him. "Thank you for enlightening me," Harry said lowly. He wouldn't look at her and she couldn't blame him. Ilya, however was looking positively gleeful at this turn of events and Ruth felt slightly relieved that he didn't look like he was planning on killing either of them anytime soon. At least her plan had given them a little more time. All three of them turned as they heard a muffled bang. Ruth felt her heart leap a little as Ilya got up and opened the door. She cowered as she heard a gunshot ring out and Ilya's body fell to the floor.

"Oh thank God," she whispered as Dimitri came into the room, gun raised. He looked at them both and was quickly followed by Erin. "Are you alright?" Dimitri asked Ruth, seeing tears flowing down her face unchecked. She was beyond saying anything at all as she saw Harry painfully walking out of the room, eyes on the floor, not once looking at her. She felt another wave of tears and couldn't believe that her life had fallen apart so spectacularly in one morning.

"Your ex-husband's charming," Dimitri said, his eyes sparkling as he helped her to her feet. She appreciated the small attempt at humour but it wasn't within her to laugh. Not after what she'd just done to Harry. He would never forgive her and she wouldn't blame him.

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><p><em>Well, at least I've got them out of that mess... Don't know what's going to happen next, but leave a review if you want to find out!<em>


	10. Chapter 10

_I do hope this isn't too drawn out but I did my best!_

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><p>Ruth was curled up on her sofa in pyjamas covered with a blanket, staring into space and mulling over what a disaster her life had become. It had been three days since Ilya had been shot dead, or at least that was the way she thought of it. Rather than three days since she last saw Harry. Dimitri had told her that once Mark had identified Ilya Gavrik, he hadn't been too hard to track down. By all accounts Mark had been absolutely terrified over what he'd done and hadn't argued when Callum had asked for his help. Within the past few days she had left the house once, to file her divorce papers, which miraculously had been found still intact.<p>

Her doorbell rang but she ignored it. Her front door was unlocked anyway, so if they really wanted to talk to her they'd just come in. The doorbell rang a second time and Ruth heard Erin's voice resonate through her house. "Come on Ruth, I know you're in there. At least let me in so I can talk to you."

"Its unlocked," she called back. She heard the door handle turning and Erin's footsteps along the hallway. The younger woman came into the living room and looked at Ruth sadly. "Shouldn't you be at work?" Ruth said.

"Yes," Erin replied. "You look terrible," she added honestly.

"I look how I feel," Ruth replied.

"Have you been to see him?"

"No," she said quickly.

"Ruth, he has a cracked rib and has just been discharged from hospital this morning and you haven't even been to visit him?"

"No I haven't because he doesn't want to see me," Ruth said surely. "If I were him, I wouldn't want to see me either. I can't blame him, its entirely my fault."

"What happened in that room?" Erin asked quietly. "Neither you nor Harry are saying a word about it but you both look devastated. What happened?" Ruth paused. She didn't know if she wanted to talk about it but she knew Erin wasn't going anywhere so she decided to talk.

"Ilya Gavrik said he wanted to kill us because of what Harry had done in the past. He didn't want anything else except us dead, so we had nothing to bargain with. I tried to find an alternative," Ruth said thinking it through out loud for the first time since they'd been freed. "Ilya wanted to break Harry, and he told us what he was going to do. He said he was going to kill me while Harry watched, and then murder Harry too. I did the only thing I could think of to buy us time. I tried to make Gavrik believe that our relationship was negligible. Insignificant… I said the most awful things about our relationship. That I didn't care about him, that I'd never loved him and worse which I'm not going to repeat. It worked, in so far as Gavrik believed what I was saying. But so did Harry. I thought he'd know that I was saying this to buy us time, I wasn't saying these things because they were true but the look on his face… I will never forget how completely betrayed he looked when I said those horrible things. He will never forgive me and he won't be able to trust me ever again either."

"I'm sorry," Erin said sincerely. "I didn't know. But he knows you. He knows the way you look at him on the grid, even I see that. Are you sure…"

"Yes, I'm sure," she said glumly. "I wish there was even the slightest space for doubt but there isn't."

"You should be explaining this to him, not to me," Erin said.

"I can't bring myself to face him," she replied honestly.

"Yes, but every second you waste is another second he is spending thinking those things are true," Erin said. Ruth shook her head sadly. "What's the worst that could happen? You can't possibly leave his house in a worse situation than you're in right now." Ruth contemplated her words and saw the logic in them. "Get up, get dressed and go and see him. What have you got to lose?"

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><p>Ruth knocked on Harry's door and waited, her heart thumping uncomfortably hard in her chest. She heard heavy footsteps and braced herself for whatever he might say. The door opened and neither said a word as they stared into each others eyes. He backed away from the door and let her in, still without a word. She followed him through to his kitchen and saw him pour himself a whisky. A whisky which was far too large for this early in the day, but she said nothing.<p>

"Getting lonely were you?" Harry asked lowly, taking a sip.

Ruth closed her eyes as she felt the guilt swamp her. "Everything I said to Ilya, you have to know I didn't mean it."

"You were very convincing," he said and she hated the fact that he still wasn't looking at her as he sat down.

"Of course I was convincing," Ruth said sitting opposite him on the other side of the table. "I had to be. I was trying to buy us time. I didn't want to die, and I didn't want you to either."

"Ruth…"

"I mean it," she said. "I hated having to say it but I couldn't think of anything else that would stop him from killing or torturing me in front of you. Which was something I was trying to avoid."

"Answer me something then," Harry said, his eyes locking with hers for the first time in days. She hated the cold ice she saw there. A gaze she rarely saw from his eyes, and never before directed at her. "You were right. You said no when I asked you to marry me. Why?"

"Because it was impulsive," Ruth said immediately. "You asked me out of the blue. It was a complete surprise, and as much as I wanted to say yes, I couldn't because the last time I'd been impulsive in love, it was a complete disaster, and I didn't want that with you."

"But you also said that you hadn't bothered looking for Mark to get a divorce. Everything you said to Ilya was true. That's what made it so incredibly believable Ruth. And that is why it hurt so much."

"If you had proposed to me again, I would have got his signature. I'd already started looking for him on the quiet at the grid. Check my terminal history if you don't believe me."

"Oh God," he said to himself. "I don't know Ruth, I don't know what to believe anymore. You said…" She smiled to herself, knowing what he was thinking but didn't have the courage to say.

"I said that you were bad in bed? I actually thought that would be the screaming giveaway to you that I was lying through my teeth. I only said that as a tell, to try and let you know I was lying. You looked so hurt, and that just made it worse which wasn't my intention. You know how much I enjoy it when you make love to me. You do know that." Silence spread out between them and he finished his whisky. "I love you Harry," she said simply. "I owed you an explanation and I wanted you to know the truth. I don't regret what I did because we're both alive and I didn't know how long it would take Erin to find us. I would do it again if the result was that you stayed alive because of it. But I know that you will never be able to trust me again, or forgive me for the horrible lies I said that morning. So I'm going to leave you to it and go."

She stood up but felt his fingertips on the back of her hand which was resting on the kitchen table. She froze, not wanting to say or do anything that would make the touch end.

"Wait," he whispered. "Just… stay. For a little bit."

"Okay," she replied quietly. Slowly she sat back down, making sure their hands always stayed touching. She turned her hand over and held his lightly, their eyes connecting.

"I do forgive you," he said after a minute of silence. "I'd forgive you even if you had meant it because I… I just can't do otherwise. I loved you for years from a distance, and I loved you more in the past two months than I thought possible."

She ran a thumb across his scraped knuckles while she thought of something and her eyes filled with tears, much to his surprise. "You're saying "loved," Harry. Past tense. I don't want it to be past tense for us ever, but especially over things I said that were lies."

"I don't mean it that way Ruth," he said honestly. "I do love you. It was hard to hear my own insecurities thrown back at me by the woman I love. But I know why you did it and I know that the reason has nothing to do with me."

"That sums it up pretty nicely actually," she said with a small smile. "What insecurities?"

"That I'm older than you," he said quietly. "That you won't trust me because of the affairs I've had in the past. Insecurities like those."

"I can't believe after all this you're worried that I won't trust you. I thought it would be the other way around. I do trust you," she said. "But I do want to know why you never told me about your son."

"Because I'm a lousy father," Harry said honestly. "I am a bad father to the son I acknowledge, and to be bluntly honest I didn't think about Sasha more than in passing. He doesn't know me and he never needed me. His mother… I did… love Elena once, it wasn't just sex. But I checked up on her son from time to time and I knew that he never went without. Ilya treated him well. I don't often think about him, and recently you've been occupying my thoughts in my spare time rather than anything or anyone else. Which might make me a terrible man as well as a bad father but it's honest."

"We all make mistakes," Ruth said quietly. "I do think you should keep an eye on him though. As both of his parents are now dead."

"I will," he said. Harry seemed a little tense and she guessed why.

"Your age doesn't matter to me," she said quietly. "If that's what's worrying you. It doesn't mean anything at all."

"Are you sure?" he asked looking so hurt, vulnerable and fragile. Something no one ever saw from Harry Pearce. She let go of his hand but only so she could go around the other side of the table. She leaned over him and kissed him, lips melding against each other as her hands caressed his face. When the kiss ended their faces were only a few millimetres apart, breath whispering over each others lips. She stayed perfectly still, waiting for him to either push him away or kiss her again. She felt her heart leap as his lips met hers for a second time in a soft, gentle and heartbreakingly wonderful kiss.

However about a minute later her heart sank to the floor as he pushed her away. "No, its not you," he said breathlessly. "Just my rib," he said. "You were leaning against it."

"Oh God, sorry," she said sincerely, backing away. He smiled slightly. A well remembered Harry smile. She pressed a light kiss on his cheek before sitting back down. And she soon found that she was smiling too.

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><p><em>What do you think? There will probably be an M rated piece along with this but otherwise I think thats the end! I'd love a last review and thanks for reading.<em>


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